System and method for commercial debt automatic collection

Abstract

The present invention consists of an improved billing and collection system in which a company or a business can create an online account and a user can select one or more of the following: a language for billing, a currency desired for payment, an exchange rate table preferred by the user for foreign currency payment, and a manner of reminding the amount and late payment, that is to say, telephone, fax, text or e-mail can be used. The system can automatically send out payment urging communication after a preselected time period and according to a preselected method selected by the office or company. The system may automatically assign payments to various billing and tax categories.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of patent application No. 201580046322.2 filed on June 30, 2015, entitled "System and Method for Automatic Collection of Commercial Debts".

[0002] Priority requirements

[0003] This application therefore claims priority to provisional application No. 61 / 998,577, filed on June 30, 2014, and shall be regarded as as fully set forth herein. Technical Field

[0004] This invention relates to the field of automatic collection of billing times and expenses from customers, and particularly to automatic collection of billing times and expenses from customers in the professional services market. Background Technology

[0005] In the current market, various computerized timekeeping and invoicing systems exist for professional firms, traded under trademarks such as Timeslips by Sage, BillQuick, Clio, and others. Some of these systems are computer-based, while others operate primarily in cloud computing environments. However, these systems are not suitable for large law firms and professional firms with a global presence, operating multiple offices in multiple countries, which must be interconnected for proper invoicing and financial management. Furthermore, these are basic procedures and do not include up-to-date features such as transmission via text, email, fax, computer voice calls, and social media announcements and invoicing. Many other diverse disclosures involving invoicing and timekeeping are also found in the prior art, as shown below.

[0006] EP 1,145,162 granted to Ashby discloses the use of a system for processing credit applications, financial and insurance services, and administrative and management tools. This system will generate quotations for insurance and finance and facilitate online credit application processing. It will further provide specific reports for financial and insurance detailed catalogs, tracking, and other administrative matters. It will provide rapid quotations for leasing or lending. It will also perform: detailed catalog tracking, insurance tracking, purchase tracking, applicant profiles, targeted sales, customer satisfaction, etc. The system will collect data for credit purposes, descriptions of projects sold, insurance provided to projects, and government-required licenses and authorizations.

[0007] Ashby also discloses that users can be financial institutions, dealers, manufacturers, insurance companies, or suppliers. It can utilize and store credit agreements containing customer ratings and interest rates, which can be bundled and sold on public trading platforms. FAQs are available in the system, and it can provide quick on-site quotes to customers. However, this disclosure pertains to car sales and insurance, not timekeeping. The items it stores include contract terms, contract ID, customer ID, purchase rate, sales rate, dealer price increases, payments, immediate cash payments, transaction value, lease payments, monthly payments, commissions, and taxes payable. However, Ashby does not handle professional timekeeping or invoicing.

[0008] Allin's EP patent No. 1,769,452 discloses the use of a computerized system for maintaining and reimbursing construction withdrawals during construction for residential and commercial building projects. It is capable of tracking lien waivers and preparing, approving, signing, and disbursing hundreds of checks to subcontractors monthly. It also tracks construction change orders. It manages all personnel involved in each withdrawal. It manages and generates construction budgets and timelines. It also manages payments to material suppliers. It manages and stores inspection data for each project. It manages budgets for GCs and subcontractors. It processes ACH payments. Templates are used to facilitate the withdrawal process. Notifications can be sent via email, text, or voice.

[0009] Alquier's EP patent 2,026,222 discloses a system and method for dynamically adding, modifying, and deleting database fields without the use of a database administrator. The system allows for the addition and modification of information structures dynamically assigned directly via a user interface. It supports different types of entity attributes, including text, numeric information, date and time, predefined values, and binary objects; allows the creation of dependencies between information entities (e.g., parent / child); provides flexible reporting capabilities (including spreadsheets, slideshows, documents, timelines, etc.); allows for a configurable data entry interface; allows for data import from external sources; allows for full-text search; records modifications for audit trails (important for pharmaceuticals and medical devices); and includes email notifications. It allows for a flexible and configurable user interface. The system uses template items, coding, and tables to achieve these purposes. However, it does not cover time tracking and invoicing generation.

[0010] U.S. Patent Publication No. 2003 / 0120538, filed by Boerke et al., discloses a method for tracking task progress by dividing a time period into multiple time slots and determining the target number of sub-tasks to be completed during each time slot. For example, time slots may be divided into 15-minute increments. The system tracks only the number of sub-tasks completed for each time slot. The method also tracks the differences in sub-task completion among workers using statistical methods. The task can include any type of work. This process can be used for planning purposes, i.e., as a planning tool, enabling management to plan and manage daily or monthly work shifts based on the work to be completed for specific tasks and sub-tasks. This helps supervisors accurately identify and correct unfavorable differences in worker performance. Progress can be recorded in a computer or worksheet or on paper. The method also records problems for correction, thereby improving performance through variance cards.

[0011] U.S. Patent Publication No. 2013 / 00090968, filed by Borza, discloses the use of employee management and scheduling methods that involve ensuring adequate staffing as needed and meeting legal requirements, while tracking and minimizing costs. Borza's disclosure also relates to applications for managing mobile phone usage, where administrators can track and manage employees, their migration, and their skills. This allows for real-time replacement of employees who are sick or absent and unable to work. Location can also be tracked. Scheduling software is used to manage multiple employees at multiple locations. From a single screen, administrators can create, edit, and delete shifts using information about provided locations, teams, skills, etc., and also have access to other aspects of managing organizational staff allocation. The system is capable of printing shift assignment reports and employee reports. However, this disclosure relates to scheduling employees without tracking their time or billing them for their time.

[0012] U.S. Patent Publication No. 2012 / 0233044, filed by Burger et al., discloses a method and system for labor project management and cost accounting. This method and system can run on a mobile application to monitor employee activity, identify misconduct, and manage the allocation of labor resources. The application, installed on employees' phones, allows employees to move to various work locations and records activity at each location. Employees can log in or out of a clock application installed on their phones. The system can be used to monitor administrators, managers, and employees. It can also be used to send payroll information. If a worker moves outside the permitted area of ​​their assigned role, a marker can be generated. The system stores employee photos, work locations, routes, work codes, SIC codes, etc., which can be entered into the backend by managers. The system also generates reports and features a "dashboard" or summary report that simply shows who is at work, when they arrived, and GPS location confirmation. An LPM platform can also be operated in the cloud.

[0013] U.S. Patent Publication No. 2014 / 0258057, filed by Chen, discloses a system and method for tracking user time on mobile devices for billing customers. The system includes a digital timer that starts upon arrival and stops when the employee leaves. The system involves tracking time on a mobile device or application. It tracks the time when text messages and emails are sent. Professionals record the time as soon as they receive voicemail, phone calls, texts, or emails. Users are also able to input the system's time records and entries into invoices. The application automatically checks the user's contact list to see if an incoming call, email, or text is from a customer; if so, it begins tracking it for billing purposes. If not registered in the contact list, the user is alerted, and the user can add the contact as a customer to be billed.

[0014] U.S. Patent Publication No. 2013 / 0290154 filed by Cherry et al. discloses the use of a system and method for managing employees at multiple work sites by providing a database in which work site datasets are stored. Employee devices can collect a set of time-punched data and photos for storage in the system. A management application is used on a monitoring device to monitor work site data and employees, verify photos, and activate the employee application. The system operates in a cloud environment. The application will utilize a web browser, WiFi, or GPS authentication. The system essentially operates as a time tracking system for work sites. The system stores time-punched photos of employees at check-in and check-out times. The system also records the number of jobs, job stages, and cost codes. The system also includes a payroll calculator that communicates with a payroll service.

[0015] Chrawshaw's U.S. Patent Publication No. 2001 / 0042032 discloses the use of a system for capturing, processing, and reporting time and expenditure, which may include fixed-fee invoicing, maximum-fee invoicing, and will also allow for discounts and cancellations. It can be used in various businesses. Clients do not have access to the company's internal data. The system will generate invoices, expenditure reports, schedules, proposals, and project tracking. This appears to be a standard procedure for data from a legal firm running on a local server in one location. The system can generate various reports as needed. Invoices can be sent via email. The program will create envelopes for invoicing. The system will also create budgets for clients.

[0016] U.S. Patent No. 6,038,547, granted to Casto, discloses the use of a construction tracking and payment system, which, by contractors and subcontractors, enables the tracking of work and timely payment and inspection upon completion. The system complies with AIA requirements. The system can be implemented on a handheld computer. The system breaks down the construction work into individual elements, and then contractors or subcontractors are given a copy of how the site is divided. Each contractor or subcontractor is then responsible for using this division to file an application to ensure the uniformity of the work as desired by the architect. The system is capable of importing and using CAD information on the work site. The system uses AIA-approved coding.

[0017] U.S. Patent 6,747,679, granted to Finch, II, et al., discloses the use of a timing and expense tracking server, which includes a server implementing computer instructions that define logic for constructing GUI screens based on user instructions. Users are able to implement and design the screens required for timing and expense tracking tasks. The system can be implemented in the cloud or on the Internet, and is intended for use with laptops or wireless devices. The GUI screens can be customized on a company-wide basis, department-wide basis, and so on. The system also includes security features, where items and item code can only be viewed by employees at a specific level.

[0018] U.S. Patent No. 7,343,316 to Goto et al. discloses the use of a web-based shift scheduling system for generating temporary shift workers. It is transmitted via a network to a portable terminal. The system is configured to be secure and provide work for multiple workers. Workers can also submit cancellations or shift changes through the system. The system also accommodates email for communication purposes. The system can also recruit new employees. The system stores employee information such as name, age, gender, address, email address and qualifications, available work slots, job type, hourly wage, etc.

[0019] WPO 2014 / 016796, submitted by Gupta et al., discloses the use of a system and method for employee tracking in mobile communication devices, where dynamic location reports can be generated in real-time or near real-time. The system involves door-to-door delivery or pickup sales force. The system uses a mobile application on the employee's phone for employee tracking. If a tracking deviation occurs, the system will trigger a tag. The system uses Blue Dophil software to analyze where the employee should be performing tasks and generates tags when the collected parameters fall outside permissible ranges. These tags are sent to management via text or email.

[0020] U.S. Patent No. 6,832,176, granted to Hartigan et al., discloses a method and system for tracking and reporting time spent on different tasks in different applications on an end-user's computer while performing tasks. The system can automatically track file openings and closings and send reports and messages directly to or from other applications. The software can also suggest categories for each task based on at least one criterion. The system can use MS Outlook to assist in task tracking and report sending. The system is targeted at lawyers and accountants. The system can track fixed costs and use the collected data to evaluate productivity or award fair bonuses to employees. The system can track multiple projects or research efforts. It can track the time accountants spend on spreadsheets. It can track the time engineers spend designing computer code or simulating circuit designs, etc. It mentions using timeslips for professional time tracking and TABS II for tracking other professional time spent on tasks and projects. The system tracks the time the professionals involved use the computer. The system presents a toolbar to assist in time tracking. The system will track time spent in applications such as MS Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint. It tracks when applications are opened, active, and then closed. It can automatically score and rate the use of these different types of software. The system can periodically generate various reports for managing usage as needed.

[0021] Hishiki’s WPO Patent Publication No. 2015 / 079776 discloses the use of a work status management system that manages the working hours of drivers of vehicles working night shifts and calculates appropriate breaks for drivers so that they do not become overworked.

[0022] U.S. Patent Publication No. 2014 / 0344,122, filed by Hodgin, discloses the use of a system for billing service personnel for time spent in IM sessions. This system is capable of automatically billing projects / customers by searching for the name of a customer or project within a text or instant message, or a series of text or instant message sessions. If the system cannot find the name of a customer or project, the user associates the IM session with a new project or customer, enabling billing for the customer's IM session. Alternatively, the system may default to a generic template used for a user's typical instant messaging session.

[0023] Hodgin's U.S. Patent Publication No. 2009 / 0006228 discloses the use of a time-tracking system and method, similar to Hodgin's IM system mentioned above. Hodgin's system also stores a list of previous associations with projects and clients built on the same or similar words and phrases.

[0024] U.S. Patent Publication No. 2002 / 0154122 filed by Jackson, Jr. discloses the use of an improved system that facilitates the hiring and management of employees by employers, referral agents, consultants, and independent contractors, and provides tax and payroll reporting. Jackson, Jr.'s system can track and manage employees, wages, and experience to provide optimal benefits to employers. The system generates computerized scheduling, invoicing, record keeping, and payment templates. It provides a list of invoices for user reference. It consists of providing invoices for contractor services and performing its functions within a cloud-based system.

[0025] U.S. Patent No. 8,838,486, granted to Kong et al., discloses the use of a time manager interface on a communication display device, which allows workers to track their time and activities. The time manager tracks the time spent logging into and out of the system. This was important in the past when login times were extremely long. It discloses the use of scanning employee badges to track work hours. This disclosure pertains to systems for checking sign-in and sign-out times. In one version of the embodiment, the system is located on-site. It discloses the use of GPS on-site to create a check track of work hours. Biometric information can be used by the system to identify workers. It can be used across multiple local offices nationwide. It can be coupled to communicate with employees' handheld devices. It can operate via WiFi and cellular networks. It can store: DOB, SSN, and other employee details. It can be used with barcodes or QR codes. It can be used in conjunction with microphones, cameras, and scanners. For remote locations, the system can check the IP address of the computer or handheld device to ensure security within the system. The system can also be used to check work schedules to lock employees out of the system when no schedule is made. When an employee arrives at the workplace, one or more emails or text messages can be sent to the workplace administration during verification. If permitted, the employee can view the work schedules of other employees. In doing so, the employee can request work dates and exchange work dates with others. The system can differentiate between tax-exempt and non-tax-exempt employees. The system can display messages to employees during the start and end of their workday registration periods.

[0026] U.S. Patent Publication No. 2012 / 0278211, filed by Loveland, discloses a system for remotely tracking and monitoring worker activity via mobile phone or other mobile tracking devices. The system continuously monitors the presence of workers in the workplace.

[0027] Manser's WPO 2010 / 11652 discloses a system and method for tracking employee performance. The Manser system provides a user interface that allows users to assess the balance of an employee's hard and soft skills, evaluate employee performance across multiple categories, and compare the average cost of the task in the market to the cost of the evaluated employee. The system can also analyze the average cost of similar tasks in the relevant market during the employee's review period. The program continuously monitors the employee's value to the employer to determine ROI at any given time. The system can be applied to direct employment, contractual, temporary, or any employee relationship. The system allows for the identification of high-performing and low-performing individuals. The system provides employees with a means to determine how they can achieve top ratings through their work effort.

[0028] Molotsi's EP 2338293 discloses a system for facilitating time tracking for employers on mobile computing devices. The system involves providing an event manager on the mobile computing device for managing multiple events, which are then synchronized with a server. The system automatically tracks time and estimates the time workers spend on tasks. Events are recorded in the user's calendar via email and text. Timestamps and graphs are provided for the events. Customer lists and data can be provided in one or more files or databases. The system can communicate with workers' smartphones. Users can open, edit, delete, view, or manage all automatically created event records. The system can automatically create time tracking records for users using information from text, email, and calendar entries. Additionally, the system can automatically convert emails, texts, and calendar meetings into time tracking events via pop-ups for the user.

[0029] Neveu Holdings, LLC's WPO 2008 / 061146 discloses a system and method for remote time collection of employee time in the workplace. The system is capable of collecting employee names, pictures, titles, contact information, health and / or safety information, skills information, etc. The system can also collect project names, project identifiers, locations, project start dates, project supervisors, and detailed comments about project activities for each employee. The system can also collect information about vendors, such as name, address, telephone number, contact person, and vendor type. The system can also use GPS information and compare it to what is assumed the employee was working. The system collects biometric information to identify employees. In one embodiment, the time collection database is configured to receive, process, and store project-related information such as name, identifier, location start date, supervisor, etc.; vendor name, address, contact number, subcontractor type, etc.; project supervisor, task, employee title, department, and employee time records. Office data collection may include: workplace, task, and project information via wireless connection. Encryption is used to send data to and from remote locations. The system can also include a field scheduling module to assign jobs to specific workplaces and to specific remote users. Users can edit hours and view comments from remote workers. Remote monitoring can record task completion, view management comments, request management assistance, and assign responsibility to all personnel.

[0030] U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015 / 0081381, filed by Okoba, discloses a system and method for recording time, which can be used on devices, software, or applications. It can be accessed by logging into a plugin or extension. The recorded time can be exchanged for vouchers, which can be redeemed or traded with other members. Users log into the system using a registration ID and password. The system can record device activity, software activity, application activity, keyboard activity, and mouse activity. Time spent by a user on a browser or video game can be given redeemable value. A database can store the recorded activity for further analysis. The system will work on computers, tablets, mobile phones, televisions, games, digital books, exercise devices, web browsers, mobile applications, and video games. Vouchers can represent monetary values, promotions, products, or services. Usernames and passwords can be stored in system cookies. The system can capture video game or browser activity, and keyboard or mobile keyboard activity. Activities spent within the system can be converted into purchasing power, allowing users to receive optimized values ​​from their activities, and the system can deliver purchase incentives at the right time and place for the right products or services. Businesses can be selected as favorites from user activities on the system.

[0031] U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015 / 0081487, filed by Porter et al., discloses the use of a time tracking and productivity system, including a tracking component to locate employees and record the time spent at various locations. The system is designed to monitor and improve the coordination of patient care, specifically limiting the number of patient hours a resident physician can work per week. Strict penalties and audits or suspensions can be implemented when rules enforced by the ACGME are violated. The system is primarily concerned with tracking employee location and working hours. The system may include cloud capabilities. It is the movement of employees within predetermined boundaries that triggers the recording of new events. It can track time in patient rooms, isolation areas, while performing paperwork, etc. A GUI is used on handheld devices. The system can also use tags that interact with RF signals. The system records employee information and FRIDA numbers, inpatient procedure instructors, inpatient coordinators, start and end times of inpatient shifts, room calls, hospital room calls, night rounds, etc. If part-time work is permitted, the system can also track part-time work hours. It will store vacation schedules and rotation schedules. Shift records may include short-trip buffers. Automatic warnings for exceeding the time limit are sent to the hospital administration office via text, telephone, email, etc.

[0032] U.S. Patent 6,185,514, granted to Skinner, discloses a method and system for automatically collecting and analyzing information about time and work performed on a computer. It uses a data collector to monitor portions of a worker's computer activity and an analyzer to show which parts of the activity are continuous work activities. The system categorizes work into preset projects and tasks within projects. Information is periodically written to a data store. The system is designed for remote commuters. The system automatically excludes time spent inactive on the computer. The system is used to predict future projects with reduced financial risk. The system includes automatic time archiving. Data stored on the system is encrypted to prevent user modification. The data collector automatically collects mouse and keyboard activity from the computer user. The system creates a log file of work activities. The hardware abstraction layer is able to interface with telephones and other devices and can be used with pointing devices such as tablets or mice. The system tracks activity within multiple open windows on the computer.

[0033] U.S. Patent No. 8,209,243 to Smith et al. discloses the use of a system for performing real-time labor management and schedule reporting, suitable for wirelessly transmitting schedule information. The portable device can be dedicated solely to time tracking and cannot perform other computational functions. The system includes a portable electronic punch system capable of communicating with the labor management system via text. The system allows users to manage work schedules and report schedule information without requiring an internet-accessible computer. The unit transmits the schedule information directly back to a server via a wireless network for analysis. Text messages can include: employee ID, working hours, off-hours, interruption times, number of working days, number of non-working days, and other work-related information. New user information can be set into the timing system via text messages. The system can operate on any wireless system, such as GSM, GPRS, CDCP, Bluetooth, and WiFi.

[0034] U.S. Patent No. 9,020,848 to Ridge et al. discloses the use of a method for tracking the time and location of employees according to a predefined arrangement, and it can use software to track the presence or absence of NFC (Near Field Communication), BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy), or other wireless devices. The system will track the presence of employees within a geofenced area. It will also track employee time and other data to record it in a payroll system. If a signal can or cannot be detected, the low-energy device then transmits the data to a server. The system also allows manual check-in and check-out in the event of a back-end server failure. The system can also be used for security purposes. The system can operate in real-time or in batch request mode. Information can be timestamps, mobile device status, or location. In one embodiment, the system can be used for employees in a retail store or restaurant. The system can be used for login using a Bluetooth tap. It can be used at trade shows by tapping a device onto an NFC communicator. It may be used in conjunction with a mobile time clock application. The system can be used to advise management when unauthorized employees enter restricted work areas. Management can input which work areas are restricted and which are unrestricted.

[0035] WPO Publication 2015 / 029073, submitted by Shirish, discloses a system and methodology for measuring and analyzing total time spent on activities such as calls, travel, lab work, meetings, discussions, and remote visits. A PD or Presence Device can be used to track employee location. The system can track average daily work patterns. It can track both work and personal activities. The system can track emails and browsing. The system can interpret flexible work hours and the use of multiple and different types of computing environments (PCs, smartphones, tablets, etc. at work and home). It can capture files, folders, web links, etc. The system allows all personal effort to be password-protected and private. The system is designed to track effort and performance 24 / 7. The system provides modules that promote focus and minimize distractions by rewarding performance points, badges for consistent performance, and progress toward performance goals. It can measure improvement by creating an n-dimensional input data cube and includes analytics for customized reporting. The system can enter a self-improvement mode to set goals for self-improvement and related activities. This system is used whenever and wherever work takes place. It features a time tracker for all online time. It also has a merger to combine offline and online time commitment maps. The system has an inference engine to determine employee work patterns, leave, work done during holidays, desktop-oriented or supervised or travel-oriented tasks, etc. The system will also present organizational goals and analyses, top performers, work patterns, and recent deviations from work patterns. Data collection modules measure and improve precise work engagement at various levels throughout the day. The system can be used on SAS (Software as a Service) and can potentially be hosted in a cloud computing environment.

[0036] U.S. Patent No. 2012 / 0173297A1, published by Styn et al., discloses a method and system for task tracking and assignment. This disclosure provides a method in which an individual can create a set of instructions within a computer-readable medium that can run to perform a set of tasks. This set of tasks may include maintaining a database, generating a first interface displaying topics associated with an individual's problem, and a second interface with annotations specific to the user-selected problem. Instructions stored in the database can be executed accordingly, and the computer can maintain multiple relational records containing data indicating relationships between folders. This disclosure also mentions prior use in MS projects and ERP systems employing Gantt charts, milestones, and tasks, as well as subtasks with complex dependencies. This system tracks invoiceable items. However, Van Styn is not a true timekeeping and professional invoicing system.

[0037] U.S. Patent No. 2014 / 0108644A1, disclosed by Zaents et al., discloses a method and system for tracking time in a web-based environment. The method involves a web-based application tracking time associated with multiple records. It identifies active records, generates records associated with active records and activates timers, and has the ability to end a session in response to an indication that a record is inactive. The time tracker can be hosted in a cloud computing environment. The time tracker calculates the total duration of a record by continuously adding up active times. The method can detect that a predetermined total duration has been exceeded and provide this indication to the user. The disclosure mentions timing, invoicing, and recording time for multiple clients when professionals switch between projects, billing, and using web browsers and multiple tabs. It is useful for invoicing, bookkeeping, and auditing. More than one user can log in to the system on the computer and track his or her time on the same computer. It also teaches the use of sub-tabs for time tracking. A stop-monitor button is used to turn time tracking on and off, or to track time as the user switches browser windows.

[0038] However, none of the aforementioned patent disclosures teach or imply an improved invoicing and timing system capable of directly editing work progress forms, drafts, and final invoices and automatically reflecting those changes in the original work data entries. Nor has a timing and invoicing system been found on the market that can automatically predict cash flow and partner profits and allow customers to view invoices in real time. These, and other additional purposes and advantages, will readily become apparent from the disclosure and accompanying drawings provided herein. Summary of the Invention

[0039] This invention includes improved internet-based and automated methods and systems for professional service firms, companies, and other business alliances. These systems can automate their payment collection methods using online accounts, email, telephone, Twitter, text, and other methods to remind customers when payments are due and direct them to mobile applications or websites to log in and pay their account balances. The systems and methods of this invention also provide automated means of allocating payments according to a predetermined set of rules, wherein allocation is performed in the following order: 1) taxes; 2) hard costs; 3) soft costs; 4) professional fees. In the payment collection systems and methods of this invention, payments can be accepted even if the customer has not yet entered the system. When this occurs, all relevant data from the payment is collected, such as name, address, and bank information (including bank account details), and entered into the system so that the customer initiator can be automatically matched with the payment if it has already been entered earlier. In fact, the system can automatically prompt the customer initiator and generate lists to remind them to enter customer information into payments already received by the system of this invention.

[0040] When making a payment, it is important to determine whether the client has an outstanding balance and sufficient time to review the invoice before applying the payment to the firm's A / R account. If the insufficient time has elapsed, which is typically 7 to 10 calendar days, the received payment will be automatically applied to and accepted by the firm's A / R account.

[0041] However, in instances where payment arrives before invoice generation, the payment must be held in a client-trusted funds account until sufficient time has elapsed between the invoice and payment for the payment to be transferred to the A / R account. While this is general practice in law firms, it may not be the case for all businesses, and therefore business users must select from the automated system whether the company actually has client-trusted funds or whether the payment has already been applied to the A / R account. Next, the business user of the system must select the number of days between receipts for payments without invoices or with recently generated invoices, or when to transfer these funds after a predetermined period, before placing them in the A / R account. Finally, a client-initiated professional determines when and whether to transfer the funds. However, client funds held but not applied after a specific number of days will alert management, allowing management to encourage any professional timers to release those funds from the trust account to the A / R or operational account.

[0042] Next, the system determines how the received funds should be applied to the firm's A / R account based on the jurisdiction or location of the billing office. In some countries, all payments received must first be applied to a tax account and immediately transferred to the tax authority. In other jurisdictions, taxes are paid to the authority based on the amount of payment received, and taxes may be allocated proportionally to the payments made in relation to the total bill payable and outstanding amounts. Finally, some jurisdictions do not have taxes payable for professional services, and this information is stored in the present invention's system and method for improving the automated collection of payments to clients.

[0043] Furthermore, it is important that before making any collection efforts, in the United States, customers should classify the debt according to the legal field in question and whether the debt arising from that legal field is personal or commercial in nature. When the debt is personal and is typically classified as normal and ordinary household expenses (legal fields such as divorce, child custody, consumer fraud, predatory lending to consumers, mortgages, consumer finance, etc.), then the debt must be carefully handled under Section 15 of the Federal Fair Debt Collection Act of §1692 of the United States Code, which prohibits companies from collecting payments in a certain way at certain times. Creditors must respect any do-not-call instructions or refrain from sending emails or otherwise contacting lists and requests. Additionally, the FFDCA stipulates the timing and amount of collection efforts, such as no more than two calls per day to households; these parameters will not be exceeded. The system of this invention will be able to link to a federal telephone number "do-not-call" list to exclude collection inquiries.

[0044] However, if the debt is purely commercial in nature and cannot be classified as a household expense, then more freedom is permitted in contacting the debtor, and the time and place for collection efforts are generally much more flexible. Certain areas of law are purely commercial in nature, such as patent and trademark law, maritime law, mergers, and articles of association. In these cases, as long as the collection efforts are reasonable, there is little need to worry about FFDCA, as it is not considered harassment, coercion, or duress.

[0045] In addition, the system should have several sets of books to allocate payments. This is particularly important when a customer is charged interest after a specified date (e.g., 14 or 30 days after the invoice is generated and delivered to the customer). In the case of an invoice, interest can be credited to the account after 14 days; however, when the preferred method of invoice delivery is by mail, an additional 5 business days or calendar days should be added to the period before interest begins to accrue.

[0046] In addition, there are additional concerns regarding the collection of interest from clients. Given the purpose of the partnership assessment, the company may wish to recover a corresponding share of hard costs (buildings, land, inventory, supplies) and fees charged to the partner, and then recover soft costs (fax, telephone, travel, taxi, payments to clients). The partner will then be allocated a "leverage ratio," which represents the ratio of the client's value to the firm's value. In the case of client interest, payments must always be applied to the earliest invoice to avoid excessive interest charges.

[0047] Of course, when a customer makes a timely payment (e.g., within 14, 30, or 45 days), the system will be able to apply a specific payment to a specific invoice according to the customer's instructions. In this case, the payment method (cash receipt, bank ACH payment, other electronic payment) can be scanned along with the invoice, and the system can apply the payment automatically. Alternatively, the invoice number can be manually entered by the user. If there is no invoice number, then the payment is usually applied based on the customer's outstanding balance. In the case of overpayment, an automatic notification will be sent to the customer, informing them of the overpayment and asking if they wish to receive a refund, and if so, by which payment method. In the case of credit card payments, refunds are usually limited to refunds processed using that credit card. Otherwise, if the customer does not make a choice, and in the case of a law firm, the overpayment is automatically transferred to IOLTA or another trust account of the firm, clearly marked with the customer's name. Similarly, if a law firm receives a payment but cannot match a customer, the payment will be deposited into an IOLTA account or other trust account unless and until the customer is identified. Furthermore, if a customer is not billed, a refund will be offered to the customer after a specified period or at the firm's request.

[0048] The collection system will be activated a certain number of days after the customer pays the bill. For example, a preferred embodiment of the invention is an email after 10 days, a mail letter after 20 days, and then a phone call after 30 days. The system can easily generate reports showing the most effective methods for collecting specific types of bills. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, those late payments less than 30 days late are classified as low priority and then rise in priority as they become later in the system. Once a payment is late, the customer will be called and asked to commit to payment, and after several failures to comply with the commitment to payment, they will be moved to the highest priority, and the bill will be transferred to the litigation department for possible litigation, or to a collection agent and / or credit reporting agency to create a negative mark on the customer's credit. Of course, these actions may be tied to a flag indicating when the customer's business has been completed so that escalation of the bill dispute does not induce the customer to file a court complaint or improper suit. It is generally considered best to sue the customer for payment only after all work has been completed and the time period has exceeded the time limit for filing a breach of contract claim. This means that the customer can only sue for breach of contract, which is difficult to prove, and he or she is unlikely to receive attorney fees or punitive damages.

[0049] In some cases, customers pay in a currency different from their local currency, and the company has agreed to accept that currency. In such cases, the customer's account will be credited based on the prevailing exchange rate index agreed upon between the customer and the company. The system will immediately link to the agreed-upon exchange rate authority before calculating the payment and applying it to the customer's account. The system of this invention will allow customers to choose from multiple websites on the Internet to optimize the exchange rate for consumers. The system will also have thresholds, whereby the balance will not be settled if it is below a specific nominal amount (e.g., $10 or $25) so as not to disturb the firm or the customer. All cancellations will appear as "courtesy credit" in the customer's permanent file.

[0050] Additionally, the system of this invention can provide a security level for communication with clients, selectable by the client-initiating partner or the billing partner. Some clients may be marked "Private and Confidential," meaning that no one in the firm, except lawyers, is authorized to contact the client, and the client's name is never disclosed outside the firm. Furthermore, client payments cannot be shown to staff or anyone other than the billing or client-initiating lawyer. Other clients are marked as having direct communication only with staff, only lawyers and their colleagues and staff, while still others are marked as having open communication with staff and the billing department. In this case, the billing department will not disturb the client and will directly send payment reminders to the billing partner or client-initiating lawyer, requesting the lawyer to contact the client directly via fax, email, telephone, and / or text using the personal reminder for payment of the bill.

[0051] The firm anticipates that clients will be able to create online accounts, including client and lawyer information, invoicing information, and a variety of payment options readily available to consumers, such as credit cards, PayPal, and Quickpay. If clients wish to choose a payment plan, a contract can be easily prepared between the consumer and the firm within minutes, complete with a signed and emailed copy of all terms and conditions. If clients require invoices generated in foreign languages, the system can automatically display all invoice text in multiple languages.

[0052] Customers can also make payments to the firm via fax, text, or email cheques. The system can automatically capture scans and images of cheques, then recreate them and submit payment via overnight ACH (Automated Clearing House) transfer. Alternatively, the system can copy cheque information (sender, sender's address, phone number, cheque number, amount, bank name, bank address, bank code, and account number), or even clip and transmit the cheque information to a procedure that will print the cheque at the firm for deposit into the firm's IOLTA account or operating account (as determined by the system according to a predetermined set of rules). The system will be able to log into the company's bank account and check direct deposits, PayPal transfers, Quick Pay payments, and other internet and electronic payment methods, downloading this deposit information directly into the system for use in the customer's IOLTA account deposit or trust account or the firm's operating account (as selected according to a predetermined set of rules).

[0053] Furthermore, when cash or check payments are received, accounts receivable can be logged into the system, with the payment date, amount, and type entered. If the payment will be made in person to a local bank, a deposit slip is automatically generated. The system can also automatically reconcile bank statements with the company's general ledger, bank ledger, or master data, and flag any incorrect or missing data from the system.

[0054] Another feature of this invention's system is the automatic provision of "courtesy credit" to customers for collaborative efforts in litigation, negotiating fixed fees, cash payments (avoiding credit card fees), and prepayment and early payment of system-generated invoices. Customer cooperation may include one or more of the following: cooperating with lawyers and staff, attending meetings as needed, appearing in court as needed, etc. The system will also revoke courtesy credit under the following conditions: customer delays payment, customer fails to pay, customer fails to attend meetings or court hearings as necessary, customer fails to respond to phone calls, emails, text messages, etc. The system will be able to generate online accounts receivable reports for collection personnel and lawyers by sorting by invoice, date, customer name, invoicing or initiating lawyer, text, etc. in a single-line report, with details available as needed in a pop-up window or in PDF format.

[0055] Therefore, the invention has been described using various configurations and modifications presented in several preferred embodiments. However, other modifications and configurations known in the prior art should be considered as part of the scope of the invention, as if fully set forth herein.

[0056] The purpose of this invention

[0057] Therefore, a primary objective of this invention is to provide an improved invoicing and customer collection system and method, wherein a company or firm has an improved method for allocating partial payments according to a predetermined set of rules, which allocates payments as follows: 1) taxes; 2) hard costs; 3) soft costs; 4) professional fees, thereby producing an excellent means and method for fairly attributing benefits between the client initiating partner and the invoicing partner in a professional services firm.

[0058] Another additional primary objective of the present invention is to provide an improved system and method that analyzes a company's or firm's accounts receivable and automatically generates a customer list, while generating additional revenue by charging interest on remaining balances, with customers benefiting from payment plans that allow them to make periodic payments for larger bills.

[0059] Another major objective of the present invention is to provide a billing system that can be triggered to provide a provisional bill before the end of the month, allowing the customer to pay his or her bill earlier.

[0060] Another major objective of this invention is to provide an improved billing system that can obtain preliminary information from customer payments, such as cash receipts, bank deposit records, bank checks, quick payments, etc., and place this information into the customer's unmatched payment database for storage in a trusted account or IOLTA account until the customer's payment can be matched with the customer's account and bill.

[0061] Furthermore, another primary objective of this invention is to automatically trigger daily accounts receivable reports only to partners who wish to receive these reports.

[0062] Another primary objective of this invention is to generate reports for users or customers, including all payments made by the customer and all invoices used for services and expenses, to provide automated and accurate bookkeeping to detect missing or misused payments.

[0063] Another primary objective of this invention is to assign billing security levels to billing or initiating partners in order to determine who in the firm or company can contact clients regarding billing and collection matters, which clients should be considered completely confidential and not disclosed publicly, and any further instructions regarding how the firm or company's staff should handle each client's collection and demand correspondence.

[0064] Another key objective of this invention is to provide a means, based on a partnership agreement, to the billing partner or customer initiating partner to automatically remind customers who have not yet paid their bills after a predetermined period. In this way, customers and the company can pre-select fax, email, telephone calls, and other customer contact methods within a reasonable and beneficial timeframe.

[0065] Another primary objective of this invention is to systematically analyze billing activities in areas such as legal and operational domains, and then classify billing customers as consumers if the debt falls under the U.S. Federal Fair Debt Collection Act for the purpose of classifying collection strategies, or if the legal and operational domains involve classification based purely on consumer activities.

[0066] Another primary objective of this invention is to provide an improved payment system that links to a national "do not call list" in order to determine whether the collection or accounts receivable department of the firm is authorized to call a customer to remind him or her of payment.

[0067] Another primary objective of this invention is to provide an improved corporate payment system in which customers can select online the type of electronic invoice to receive, the type of electronic payment to make, and the exchange rate to link if the customer decides to pay in a non-local currency.

[0068] Another primary objective of this invention is to provide an improved firm collection system in which the firm selects the number of days between a client's advance payment and the firm's invoice submission to transfer funds from an IOLTA account or other trust fund account to the firm's operating account.

[0069] Another primary objective of this invention is to provide an improved corporate payment system in which a company can decide to generate a credit agreement and offer a payment plan to a customer after a given non-payment period, and have the customer sign the agreement, either physically or online, click and return to the agreement, along with the first payment.

[0070] In addition, another major objective of the present invention is to provide an improved office collection system that automatically generates bank deposit slips when cash or check payments are recorded in the system and when deposits are personally delivered to the bank daily.

[0071] Another major objective of this invention is to provide an improved agency payment system that provides courtesy credit to clients for prepayment, early payment, cash payment, client cooperation, and other situations, saving agencies time and hassle in payment collection.

[0072] Another primary objective of this invention is to provide an improved firm collection system that allows a firm’s debts to be classified as low, medium, or high priority, wherein low priority debts are processed via automated fax, email, or text-friendly payment reminders, medium priority debts are processed by telephone with a request for a payment date, and high priority debts are sent to the collection or litigation department for further review.

[0073] Another major objective of this invention is to provide an improved office payment system that automatically reminds clients to make payments at regular intervals (e.g., after ten, twenty, and thirty days) via automatic fax, email, or text message.

[0074] These objects and advantages of the invention, as well as other objects and advantages, will readily become apparent from the following detailed description of the accompanying drawings, taken in conjunction with the drawings presented herein, and should be considered within the full scope of the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0075] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of the system of the present invention, which is an improved invoicing and payment system.

[0076] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of the system of the present invention, which is an improved invoicing and payment system.

[0077] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of the system of the present invention, which is an improved invoicing and payment system.

[0078] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of the system of the present invention, which is an improved invoicing and payment system.

[0079] Figure 5 This is a screenshot illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention, showing the "payment process".

[0080] Figure 6 This is a screenshot showing a preferred embodiment of the invention on the "Proceed to Payment Posting" screen.

[0081] Figure 7 This is a screenshot illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention, showing "payment posting and partial payment input".

[0082] Figure 8 This is a screenshot illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention, showing "billing and payment reports".

[0083] Figure 9 This is a screenshot illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention, showing "billing and payment reports".

[0084] Figure 10 This is a screenshot showing a preferred embodiment of the invention, illustrating "Invoicing and Payment Reports" and a drop-down menu.

[0085] Figure 11 This is a screenshot showing a preferred embodiment of the invention displaying the "Invoicing and Payment Report" of the line items.

[0086] Figure 12This is a screenshot showing a preferred embodiment of the invention displaying the "Invoicing and Payment Report" of the line items.

[0087] Figure 13 This is a screenshot illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention, "Transactional Client Enhancement".

[0088] Figure 14 This is a screenshot showing a preferred embodiment of the invention, illustrating the "Project Builder" item.

[0089] Figure 15 This is a screenshot showing a preferred embodiment of the invention, illustrating the "Project Builder" item.

[0090] Figure 16 This is a screenshot showing a preferred embodiment of the invention, illustrating the "Project Builder" item. Detailed Implementation

[0091] Now Figure 1 A flowchart of the system of the present invention, illustrating an improved invoicing and payment system 10, is shown. In this particular embodiment of the invention, the improved invoicing and payment system 10 shows a user creating an online account 12 to access his or her information as a client of the firm. The client will select an ID and password. The client can then agree to the terms of service and billing of the firm 13. The user can then enter a preferred payment type and electronic invoice to receive the invoice and to make payment via electronic invoice 14. The electronic invoice may include some or all of the following currency types: PayPal, electronic money orders, bank account information (bank name, bank code, and account number). Electronic invoicing and payment are generally preferred for consumers and businesses because: there is little or no float until the money can be accessed by the merchant; the service is generally free or far less expensive than credit cards, although the present invention will accept credit and debit cards as traditional payment methods. The system will also accept ACH payments from clients, and daily, near-daily, or weekly bank account downloads will be detected and automatically entered for use in the system according to the present invention.

[0092] Next, the client will select in the automated system whether they have any consumer debt from firm 16. This selection is important because the law is generally stricter when dealing with consumer debt collection under the Federal Fair Debt Collection Act, and more lenient for business collections. However, licensed professional firms such as law firms, accounting firms, construction companies, and engineering firms may still have ethical standards that would prevent them from engaging in such frequent debt collection activities that could be considered harassment.

[0093] Furthermore, in the online account, if payment is made in foreign currency, customers can choose from various exchange rate internet publications (The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, etc.) to optimize the exchange rate. Customers will be allowed to change the published rates at any time before payment to link to the exchange and optimize their rates. Additionally, the invoicing and collection system 10 of this invention will allow customers to request discounts on their invoices by making early or quick payments when appropriate. Customers will also be allowed to print a report containing all dated invoices and all dated payments so that they can check for any missing payments or unreceived invoices. When any payment is delayed, customers will be able to set preferred payment reminder methods (text, telephone, fax, email, or letter). Of course, the firm can implement at least one or two mandatory methods for overdue payments. The invoicing and collection system 10 of this invention will also automatically check the national "no-call" list before making any calls to customers, and the collection system 10 will also place a warning on the customer's account indicating that unwelcome collection calls are not allowed.

[0094] Next, the payment enters the invoicing and collection system 18 of this invention, where it is automatically processed by the collection system 20. The first decision that must be made with the payment is whether the customer has an outstanding balance; if so, it is automatically placed in the company's accounts receivable or operating account 24. If there is no outstanding balance, the payment will be placed in the customer's trust account or the lawyer's IOLTA account (lawyer's trust account interest), primarily for charitable purposes, mainly providing charitable legal services to impoverished customers, or if the customer is not a lawyer or law firm 22, the payment may be deposited into another trust account. For most normal payments, the payment will be accompanied by an invoice number, and the payment will be deposited into the company's operating account in accordance with the invoice in the usual business process. The next step for this type of payment (no invoice but customer payment) is then to contact the invoicing or initiating partner by email and / or text 26 and inquire whether he or she can immediately run a provisional invoice so that the funds can be deposited into the company's A / R (accounts receivable) account or operating account 24 as soon as possible. The billing and collection system 10 of the present invention will then automatically transfer funds from IOLTA or the company's trust account after a predetermined number of days set by the company or the customer, to ensure that the customer has sufficient time to review the bill and approve its contents.

[0095] Furthermore, even if no customer information is archived in system 28, the billing and payment system 10 of this invention will still allow payment. First, the billing and payment system 10 will check for a customer name match; if a match is found, a null value is returned, and the address, phone number, email, and any other payment data will be entered into the system for matching 30. If all data (name, address, phone number, email, etc.) returns without a match, a new temporary customer will be created, but it will lack the name of the billing partner or customer-initiating partner. The payment will then be placed in the law firm's IOLTA account or in a non-law firm's customer trust account until the customer's identity can be matched with the bill 32. Periodic reports will be run and emailed to all partners 34 until the customer declares and correctly sets up their customer information account.

[0096] Figure 2 A flowchart of overdue payment 50 is shown. The improved billing and collection system 10 of this invention will run periodic reports for customers overdue for 30, 60, 90, or 120 days, or a mode selected by the firm and billing partner 52. The reports should state the overdue amount, collection efforts (number of reminder letters, phone calls, faxes, texts, and emails sent), and whether these efforts were successful 54. At this point, the billing or customer-initiating partner will be able to increase collection efforts, or contact the customer and inquire whether the customer will pay amount X, and the partner will cancel amount Y 56. Alternatively, the billing partner can be asked if they are willing to increase collection efforts with more letters, calls, faxes, texts, and emails 58. Finally, the billing partner will be able to automatically offer the customer a payment plan, where a credit agreement will be automatically generated by the system of this invention, i.e., the billing and collection system 10, and it will be sent to the customer requesting payment for 10, 12, 18, or 20 months to make it easier for the customer 60 to pay. The customer will be instructed to return the signed agreement along with the first payment to initiate the agreement 62. Customers will be asked whether they can have payments automatically deducted monthly from their credit card, debit card, or checking account, or pay through 64 internet electronic payment services such as Chase Quick Pay or PayPal.

[0097] The billing and collection system 10 of this invention will also include a security level 66, in which the billing or initiating partner will select whether the billing department of the firm or company will not contact the customer regarding billing / collection or whether there is any contact between the customer and the billing department regarding billing / collection, or whether the billing department has full access to the customer. In this way, security level 66 will be established regarding whether the customer is confidential and not disclosed outside the firm, and what level of billing personnel can contact the customer and by what means (e.g., only bookkeepers, staff, or management, or only partners). If the billing partner sets the security level to minimal contact or no contact, then when any payment is overdue, she or he may not be able to personally send an email or make a phone call to the customer (when prompted to do so by system 68).

[0098] Of course, any debt write-off 56 may require management approval, and periodic write-off reports will be sent to management so that the billing partner can be properly monitored by the system. Furthermore, GNF reports 57 will be issued, and collection efforts will be made as long as these efforts do not exceed the statute of limitations of the written contract. The billing and collection system 10 will be able to distinguish between voluntary write-offs, court-ordered write-offs, and those used as further inducements to pay unpaid bills. In this way, the billing and collection system of the present invention can periodically analyze which payment write-off inducements are most likely to generate optimal revenue for the firm or company.

[0099] Figure 3 The flowchart illustrates the process of establishing an online account for client 100. The billing and collection system 10 of this invention will contact the client-initiating partner or billing partner for review and signing 102, based on the client's preferred type of contract or reservation agreement. The system will allow electronic signatures on these agreements after the client scrolls down and reads 104. In this way, agreements between the firm or company and the client can be fully flexible and easily updated by the billing partner or initiating partner as the client's needs change over time. For example, a client may come to the firm with a simple intention and trust requirement. The client generates and signs a reservation agreement for basic business matters. Then, the client may experience a car accident or slip and decide to further utilize the firm's lawyers 106. A second agreement 108 is stored in the client's online account as a contingency agreement for 33% of all funds recovered. Once the client has signed this agreement, the billing partner or client-initiating partner can begin processing the matter.

[0100] Figure 4A flowchart illustrating the creation of a supplementary ledger when there is due interest from a client is shown. Generally, upon receiving a partial payment 120, the invoicing and collection system 10 of this invention analyzes whether there is due interest, and if so, the jurisdiction of the first jurisdiction 122 for tax payment. If so, the invoicing and collection system 124 first pays or allocates the tax, and then the remaining balance is allocated to the partner on the ledger in the following order: hard costs, then soft costs, then professional fees or profits. This leaves an agency balance 128 comprising the sub-partial tax 132, hard costs 134, soft costs 136, and the professional fees paid 138, and another general client balance 130 for determining the partner's profit to be divided. If no interest is due, payment 126 is applied.

[0101] Figure 5 A preferred embodiment of the improved invoicing and collection system 10 is shown, which has fields for transaction date 150 or posting date 152 for payment. Users can set posting dates separately from transaction dates for purposes such as taxation and interest calculation. The invoicing and collection system 10 also displays fields for entering cheque numbers 154 or authorization numbers for credit cards or other related posting data. It also displays a field for the (company's) bank account 156, where payments are stored to track whether payments are deposited into the firm's operating account for salaries, expenses, and supplier payments, or whether they are placed in the company's trust account or IOLTA account. The table also displays the internal account number of the firm's accounting system to which the payment is posted, which is the account number of the appropriate ledger 158. Fields are also provided for company code 160, currency exchange rate and type (e.g., Canadian dollars and the Canadian dollar to US dollar ratio (1.2) 162).

[0102] The following icons are shown in the screenshot's title: Save 165, Back or Previous Screen 166, Exit Screen 168, Close App 170, View 172, Email 173; Help 174 and Research 176.

[0103] Figure 6Screenshots illustrating a preferred embodiment of an improved invoicing and payment system 10 for making payments to an invoice application are shown. The following icons are shown in this particular figure: a save icon 165 to save the payment being entered; a back or previous screen icon 166 to go to the last entered payment; an up screen icon 168; a move up icon 170; a text payment icon 172; an email payment icon 173; a help icon 174; an internet research icon 176; a cash discount expiration icon 178; a move to the top of the list icon 188; a move up one item in the list icon 190; a move down one item in the list icon 192; and a move to the last item in the list icon 194. The screenshots also show multiple line items of the invoice 180, which the user can click on for more details; the amount entered for payment 184; and the invoice 186 to which the payment has been assigned. By using the email payment icon 173 and the text payment icon 172, users can choose to enable these features so that once a customer has made a payment and entered it into the billing and collection system 10, the billing partner or other lawyer can be notified quickly via text or email.

[0104] Figure 7 A screenshot illustrating a preferred embodiment of an improved invoicing and collection system 10 for posting partial payments to the system is shown. In this particular figure, the user clicks on two fields: a fee field 196 containing entry 2,744.00 and a soft cost field 198 containing fee 43.17. Furthermore, the figure shows 16 invoices listed as item 182, and an entered payment amount 184 of 5,000.00, with 5,000.00 assigned to item 186 of the specific invoice. An unassigned value 200 is also shown, displaying its value as 0.00.

[0105] Figure 8 A screenshot illustrating a preferred embodiment of an improved invoicing and collection system 10 for posting payments and printing invoices and payment reports is shown. The screenshot shows: a print icon 202, a company code field 204, an invoicing office field 206, a customer number field 207, a payer field 208, an invoicing partner field 210, an item number field 212, an invoice number field 214, and an invoice date field 216. A series of pop-up icons 218 are provided next to each field, allowing further information to be displayed in pop-ups or drop-down menus upon user request. A search field 220 is also provided, allowing users to search for all invoices containing specific words and phrases. The print icon 202 is also provided for running reports according to user expectations.

[0106] Figure 9 The screenshot shows a preferred embodiment of an improved invoicing and payment system 10 for improved invoicing and payment collection, where the user has clicked... Figure 8 A pop-up icon 218 for the billing partner 210 is displayed, showing the following information: a select or activate field 224 for selecting a partner who will have access to the billing and collection information of this customer, as shown in the customer number field 207; a deselect or deactivate field 226 for deselecting access to the billing and collection information; a scroll main icon 228; a scroll to the right icon 230; a print report icon 232; and a list of lawyers 222. Additionally, a company code is selected by entering a number in the company code field 204, and a billing office field 206 is also selected to choose a lawyer or staff group.

[0107] Figure 10 Another screenshot illustrating a preferred embodiment of the improved billing and payment system 10 of the present invention is shown, in which information is displayed in the following fields selected by the user: company code 204, customer number 207, and payer 208. A given customer can have different payers for their account, or multiple different payers for that customer's account. This is typically the case where an insurance company hires a lawyer, firm, or legal team to handle its litigation matters.

[0108] Figure 11 Another screenshot illustrating a preferred embodiment of the improved invoicing and payment system 10 of the present invention is shown, wherein information of a list of selected invoices is displayed in list 246. The screenshot also shows the following icons: descending sort icon 234, ascending sort icon 236, filter field icon 238, total invoice icon 240, download invoice icon 242, and invoice report layout 244. The system is capable of generating various customizable invoice reports by clicking the invoice report layout icon 244.

[0109] Figure 12 Another screenshot illustrating a preferred embodiment of the improved invoicing and payment system 10 of the present invention is shown, in which an invoicing and payment report is displayed, showing filter icon 238, report layout icon 244 and line item list 246, which are created by selecting the desired report layout and filter.

[0110] Figure 13 Another screenshot illustrating a preferred embodiment of the improved billing and payment system 10 of the present invention is shown, which shows the project definition field 248, the company code 204 for the project, the local office field 250 specifying the location of the work, and the currency of the office 252 involved in the work.

[0111] Figure 14Additional screenshots of a preferred embodiment of the improved billing and collection system 10 of the present invention are shown, illustrating a Item Type field 254, an Item Category field 256, a Local Practice Group field 258, an Item Reporting Group field 260, and a Legal Domain field 262. Item Type field 254 indicates whether the item is billable or non-billable, whether the system intends to maintain billing, or whether the work is inherently unpaid (i.e., for impoverished customers with little hope of receiving payment for the work. Impoverished customers are those relying on government assistance—unemployment, Social Security, food stamps, etc.—and are at or below 125% of the poverty line, and those who do not own a car or home or may have collateral forfeited). Item Category field 256 indicates whether billing is hourly, a fixed fee or a fixed rate, a customized fixed fee, or a traditional fixed fee for the work performed. Other fields indicate whether the item will be presented to the customer in collection communications and accounting reports.

[0112] Figure 15 Additional screenshots of a preferred embodiment of the improved billing and collection system 10 of the present invention are shown, illustrating a customer enhancement tab 272 that allows the user to select a general data tab 270 and from it a collection and reminder box 264 containing the following fields: Authorization for Collection field 266 and Collection Block Indicator field 268. If the matter is authorized for collection, it will be placed in an automated collection system that reminds the customer to make payment at various pre-selected intervals, such as an email after 10 days, a letter after 20 days, and a phone call requesting a payment commitment after 30 days. The system then tracks unfulfilled commitments, and when a certain number of unfulfilled commitments are reached, the matter can be sent to a credit report and / or the litigation department of the firm or another firm. The system also calculates the last working date of the matter to prevent it from being sent to litigation until the legal misconduct restriction period has run out, thus preventing the customer from asserting a claim for legal wrongdoing.

[0113] Figure 16 Another accompanying figure shows a screenshot of the improved invoicing and payment system 10 used in the system of the present invention, illustrating a project definition field 248, which leads to a customer enhancement tab 272, which in turn leads to an output data selection tab 274. The output data selection tab 274 displays the following fields: invoicing language 276, draft invoice format 278, final invoice format 280, and customer case details field 282, where system 10 will track the customer case number and name. The draft and final invoice formats can be selected from multiple templates provided to the user, all of which can be further customized by the user.

[0114] Although the invention has been described in the detailed description above with reference to various specific embodiments, it should be understood that modifications and alterations in the structure and arrangement of those embodiments other than those specifically set forth herein can be made by those skilled in the art, and such modifications and alterations are considered to be within the general scope of the invention.

Claims

1. An improved invoicing and payment system, comprising a CPU and a data storage device, an invoice for a customer specifying the invoice date, a description of the work performed, and the total cost of the invoice, the improvement comprising: The system provides an online account with an ID and password. When the customer logs into the account, the system displays a one-line list of past invoices and payments that the customer can view. At least one payment reminder to the customer; A unit for electronic payment of at least one customer invoice to the customer, wherein the user can click on any row of a list of past invoices to display further details related to that invoice and make immediate online invoice payments; and when a payment enters the system, the system, in response to an indication that the customer account associated with the payment has no outstanding balance, inquires the customer whether to run a temporary invoice, and, in response to approval from the customer, issues the temporary invoice, and automatically transfers the payment after a predetermined number of days. The system includes: a unit for recording a payment in the system when no customer name is provided on the payment; and a unit for collecting information from the payment selected from one or more of the following groups: customer address, customer phone number, bank name, bank address, bank code, bank account number, and invoice date. The system automatically prompts the customer and generates a list to remind the customer to enter customer information into the payment. The improvement includes: when a partial payment is received, analyzing whether there is accrued interest, and if so, creating a supplementary ledger and allocating the payment in the order of taxes, hard costs, soft costs, and professional fees or profits; and if no interest is accrued, applying the payment.

2. The improved invoicing and collection system according to claim 1, further comprising: a unit for recording a payment into the system, a unit for comparing the payment date with the invoice date, and a unit for selecting from one or more of the following accounts to record the payment into one of the following accounts based on the difference in days between the payment and the invoice, selected according to a set of predetermined rules: a trust account, an IOLTA account, and an agency account.

3. The improved billing and collection system of claim 1, wherein after a certain number of days have elapsed since the billing invoice was generated and delivered to the customer, the system will automatically generate at least one payment reminder message to the customer, the payment reminder message being selected from the group consisting of: fax, email, tweet and text.

4. The improved invoicing and collection system of claim 1 is further provided with a unit for the user to select at least one discount payment from the following payment discount preferences: early payment discount, discount for payment within a specific number of invoices from the billing date; discount for entering a payment arrangement within a time period and then making immediate payment.

5. The improved invoicing and payment system according to claim 1, wherein the improvement includes: Customer payments are entered into multiple ledgers and allocated in the following order: 1) Taxes and fees; 2) Hard costs, 3) Soft costs, and 4) Fees charged to customers.

6. The improved billing and payment system according to claim 1, further comprising: the system querying the customer regarding preferred means of sending payment reminders and then the system checking the customer's preferred method of sending payment reminders, the system automatically generating payment reminders according to the means pre-selected by the customer.

7. The improved invoicing and payment system according to claim 1, further comprising: providing a user with a single-line summary list of multiple customer invoices and allowing the user to click on one of the summary lines to open at least one pop-up window containing detailed information about the invoice in PDF format.

8. The improved invoicing and collection system of claim 1, further provided with the following: allowing the user to display a one-line summary list of multiple customer invoices to the user, wherein the user is able to sort the list by at least one or more of the following fields: payment date, work date, work description, invoice date, and total charge to the customer.

9. The improved invoicing and payment system according to claim 1, further comprising: a user being able to display a list of customer invoices based on a security level so as to view invoices by the user's name.

10. The improved invoicing and collection system of claim 1, further provided that the user can display a list of customer invoices according to the security level allowed for viewing invoices at one or more of the following employee levels: invoicing lawyer, customer initiating lawyer; secretary; lawyer's assistant and staff.

11. The improved invoicing and payment system according to claim 1, wherein the improvement comprises: Create an online account with a password and ID for the customer and check the dormant list before calling the customer to remind them of past due payments.

12. The improved invoicing and payment system according to claim 1, wherein the improvement includes: Generate a past payment due reminder communication to the customer in one or more languages ​​pre-selected by the customer.

13. An improved method for invoicing and collecting payments, comprising the steps of: providing a CPU and a data storage device; creating an invoice for a customer specifying the invoice date, a description of the work performed, and the total cost of the invoice, the improvement comprising: - Generate a single-line list displaying past invoices for the working dates, rates, details, billing amounts, and payments that the customer can view; - Display payment reminders to the customer; - Provides means of electronic payment for at least one customer invoice to be displayed to the customer, and allows clicking on any invoice in the row list of the invoice portion to display further details related to that invoice, and - When a payment is received, in response to an indication that the customer account associated with the payment has no outstanding balance, the customer is prompted to request a temporary invoice, and in response to approval from the customer, the temporary invoice is issued, and the payment is automatically transferred after a predetermined number of days. The improvements include recording the payment in the system even when the customer's name is not provided on the payment; collecting information from the payment selected from one or more of the following groups: customer address, customer phone number, bank name, bank address, bank code, bank account number, and invoice date; and automatically prompting the customer and generating a list to remind the customer to enter customer information into the payment. The improvement includes: when a partial payment is received, analyzing whether there is accrued interest, and if so, creating a supplementary ledger and allocating the payment in the order of taxes, hard costs, soft costs, and professional fees or profits; and if no interest is accrued, applying the payment.

14. The improved invoicing and collection method according to claim 13, wherein the improvement includes the following steps: -Enter customer payment, - The payments are recorded in multiple ledgers and allocated in the following order: 1) taxes; 2) hard costs; 3) soft costs; and 4) fees charged to customers.

15. The improved invoicing and collection method according to claim 13, wherein the improvement includes the following steps: - An electronic invoice is generated for the customer via one or more of the following methods: fax, mail, telephone system, email, text, and PayPal, the customer makes a payment, and then the payment is automatically recorded in the system for at least one invoice selected by the customer.

16. The improved invoicing and collection method according to claim 13, wherein the improvement includes the following steps: - If payment is received immediately and online, a means of automatically generating a quote based on a predetermined set of rules is provided, which reduces the customer's bill by a specific percentage.

17. The improved invoicing and collection method according to claim 13, wherein the improvement includes the following steps: - Request the customer to provide a preferred communication method for payment reminders; - Automatically generate payment reminders based on the customer's preferred payment reminder method.

18. The improved invoicing and collection method according to claim 13, wherein the improvement includes the following steps: - Display a single-line summary list of multiple customer invoices for the user and allow the user to click on one of the summary lines to open at least one pop-up window containing detailed information about that invoice in PDF format.

19. The improved invoicing and collection method according to claim 13, wherein the improvement includes the following steps: - Provide the user with a one-line summary list of multiple customer invoices, and then sort the list by at least one or more of the following fields: payment date, work date, work description, invoice date, and total charge to the customer.

20. The improved invoicing and collection method according to claim 13, wherein the improvement includes the following steps: -Provide a security level that allows viewing invoices by user's name; - Only authorized users are allowed to view invoices within their authorized security level.

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